Gluten the Enemy

Food additives in gluten-free foods

Food colourings

Ms H

Food dyes are widely used and hazardous additives. Food colouring is any dye, pigment or substance that colours the food or drink. When foods are processed valuable nutrient, texture, flavours are lost and fibres removed so food dyes make them more attractive and appetising.

The European Union has recently placed regulations on labelling food dyes to inform consumers of the health risks. 

Natural red food colourings are annatto E 160b reddish orange, elderberry E163, paprika E160c, lycopene E160c and carmine E120. Natural yellow colourings are turmeric fluorescent yellowE100, and carotenoids yellow-orange- red E160, E161, E164. The chlorophyllin E140, E141 are green. Colours of betanin E162 and anthocyanins (flavonoids) E163 are changing with pH; betanin from bluis-red to blue-violet and anthocyanins pigments colour the fruit, flowers of many plants and autumn leaves form scarlet, magenta, purple and blue. EU permitted artificial colourings’ E number varies from 102- 143 quinoline yellow, ponceau 4R, patent blue V, green S and carmoisine.

A 2007 British study found that children who consumed a mixture of common synthetic dyes displayed hyperactive behaviour within an hour of consumption. The results, published in The Lancet, prompted Britain’s Food Standards Agency to encourage producers to find alternatives to artificial food dyes. Since July 2010, most foods in the EU that contain artificial food dyes have been labelled with warning tags stating the food "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children."